Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Venom or Justice League. Venom is property of Marvel, Justice League is property of DC, and Sean Ashburn Kruger and Global Tech belong to Dragonlord0.
Enjoy!
The drive back to Gotham was shorter than expected. Eddie was silent, while Anne had her foot on the pedal to make sure neither Batman nor any of the Justice League were following them on the way, and slowed down when they weren't, but only to decrease the speed limit.
"Think they'll back off?" Anne asked her boyfriend after a long moment of silence.
"You know how the League gets when they let a bad guy get away." Eddie scoffed. "Besides, you should've seen the looks on their faces when we grilled the rich boy in front of them."
'Should've said more about planning on getting laid with an Amazon and a magician.' Venom chuckled sinisterly.
"Yeah, and risk being torn apart by Boy Scout and Rich Boy." Eddie commented sarcastically as he pictured the scenario.
Anne chuckled. "Figured as such. I don't think even a restraining order is enough to make them stay away."
Eddie's phone went off before the reporter quickly answered it and put it on speaker.
"Hey, just got Zatanna comfortable with Global." Sean said. "Are you guys in Gotham yet?"
"We just made it." Anne said. "Just enough time to get the League off our backs until they come looking for us."
"It's gonna be a problem now that they know how to beat us." Eddie pointed out.
"Don't sweat it." Sean assured him. "Look in the bag."
With a raised eyebrow, Eddie moved to the backseat towards the duffel bag and opened it.
What he saw caught him off guard.
Inside were stacks of hundreds of dollars, along with some clothes.
'Goody. More dough for a lifetime supply of chocolate.' Venom mused.
"Good idea. Bribe our way out and get our asses thrown into Blackgate or Arkham!" Eddie said sarcastically, hissing the last of his sentence.
'That's not a bad idea, actually.' Venom, sincerity in his tone. 'We can tear that place apart just as we promised.'
"Check the bottom." Sean said with annoyance in is voice.
Sighing, Eddie moved the money and the clothes apart, until he saw a small red device with a button in the center that was almost the size of Eddie's palm.
"That there is the Sonic Nullifier." Sean explained. "Think of it as a tiny mute button."
'Finally, a way to block out the racket!' Venom exclaimed.
"How long did it take for you to make this?" Anne asked.
"Right after I sent Eddie to his new home, I got my scientists to work on a way to counter Venom's vulnerability to ultrasonics." Sean said. "That little gizmo forms a barrier around the user's body that even the Canary Cry can't break through. Tests were positive, though a few volunteers were left with ringing ears. They're fine by the way."
"Okay, so how do we put this doohickey on?" Eddie asked as he looked for anything to attach it to himself
"Just hold onto it, and your ears will be protected with a push of that little button." Sean answered. "In the meantime, try to find more guys for our club."
"Who do you think is next?" Anne asked.
"I want you guys to find the Red Hood." Sean instructed. "He's got one hell of a history with the Dark Knight. He's hiding out in an old apartment, so I'm sending you the coordinates."
"Got it. We'll call you back." Anne said as she drove off towards their destination to their new recruit.
Diana Prince's Apartment, Metropolis
Diana, out of costume, let out a groan of irritation as she plopped onto her bed. Apparently, the stress of seeing her teammates, with the exception of Oliver and Kara, ignore the good Eddie or Venom had done for the public in favor of bringing him to "justice" was too much for her to handle that she needed her mind off of the League.
"What will it take for them to see the big picture?" she muttered.
It was no wonder the League picked her to become an "inspiration" to the public for her skills as an Amazon warrior. She couldn't even imagine the number of times she had to put up with their ramblings on how even the worst criminals deserve a second chance, and how killing makes them no better than their enemies.
The same would go for Shayera and John; both fought for their worlds and people and had taken lives in battle to ensure the safety of innocents. Now they were as blind as Diana once was, but they'll understand soon enough with more prodding as Venom had done both her and Kara.
Perhaps, once she's cooled off, she'll find a way to convince them.
If they believe her.
Gotham City
Inside a worn down apartment room there is a young man with black hair gazing out the window as he watched the sun slowly go down. The man wore a grey kevlar that had a red bat emblem on the front, a brown leather jacket, black domino mask, and a red helmet with two eyes on the front that was currently being held in his hands. With a grimace, he placed the helmet over his head, causing the eyes to glow white, before grabbing his trusty twin pistols from the table, locked and loaded.
Just what he needed for work tonight.
After locking up his small room, the man walks out the building from the back and heads towards his motorcycle. The streets were empty this time of night for good reason, but hardly anyone came to these streets at all. Just before he hops onto his ride, he hears a voice calling his name.
"Red Hood?"
The man, now known as the deadly vigilante, Red Hood, turns around to see a smiling Eddie Brock and Anne Weying walk over to his location.
"Eddie Brock, I presume?" Red Hood asked the reporter.
"In the flesh." Eddie said, after using the coordinates Sean gave them to locate this dangerous man to persuade him to join the upcoming team.
"Look, I'm not in the mood for an interview. So how about you take your story someplace else before it gets dark." Red Hood said. "That's when things get nasty around these parts of Gotham."
Anne puts her palm in the air as a means to stop him from talking, "That's alright, Hood. We're here to offer you something. You know Sean Ashburn Kruger?"
"The kid who owns Global Tech?" Hood asked. "Yeah, I know him. Hell, I even met him once. Says he's a big fan of my… work."
"Well, surprise, so are we." Anne said, and she could sense Hood raising an eyebrow underneath his helmet.
"We're putting together a team of vigilantes of your profession to do a better job at protecting people than the Justice League, and we'd thought you'd be a perfect candidate." Eddie explained.
Normally, Hood was not one for being a team player, as he had once led the Outlaws, consisting of himself, Red Arrow, now going by Speedy, and former Titan Starfire, before they went their separate ways, leaving their leader solo once more, but hearing of a similar team gained his interest.
"What's in it for me?" Red Hood asked.
"We give you protection, a place to say, and some money after some kills." Anne listed off. "Heard you tried getting shots at the Joker a few times, but everyone knows Batman won't let anyone do it, and we have a means of making sure he won't get in your business again."
It was true. One attempt after the other, the Batman would save the Joker from death as always and ship him back to the revolving door that is Arkham Asylum to give him the "help" he needs.
Hood didn't want to admit it, but Eddie sure had a way with words.
"What do you say?" At this, Eddie extended his hand, and the black substance began to morph it into a monstrous looking claw, "Do we have a deal?"
Red Hood looked at the black, monstrous hand for a moment before finally taking it, and both hands shook.
"Jason Todd. Big fan."
'I'm liking this guy already.' Venom spoke with interest.
Eddie's phone rang, to which he quickly answered and put on speaker for all three (or four) of them to hear.
"Eddie, did Hood accept the invite?" Sean asked.
"Good to go." Jason spoke up.
"Okay, bud. Who's next?"
"Killer Frost, Cheetah, Killer Croc, and El Diablo." Sean answered. "They're still holed up in Belle Reve, and I have their release forms ready."
"Belle Reve?" Eddie asked in surprise. "It'll take days to get to Louisiana! We can't afford that much time!"
"Leave it to Zee." Sean assured them. "She just got… acquainted with the other recruits and has been throwing question after question for their presence. I'll tell her more when we get there."
"Got it. Good luck." Eddie said before hanging up, prompting them all to enter Anne's car to leave for Eddie's apartment.
Belle Reve Penitentiary, Louisiana
The prison meant to house the biggest and toughest metahuman criminals stood tall as the guards made their rounds.
Ever since the disbandment of Cadmus, which had once recruited a few of the facility's inmates for their potential Suicide Squads, the prison was more than willing to cooperate with Global Tech to put down the most dangerous super-criminals that are too dangerous to keep alive, while letting the rest that have a chance at a normal life complete the rest of their sentences or be let out on parole by handing them to the company to finally cure a few of their conditions.
"Why are we here again?" Zatanna asked in concern as she and Sean walked through the halls with the security guard ahead of them, ignoring the stares directed at both of them from the inmates.
Just an hour ago, she was shocked to find assassins Deathstroke and Deadshot, metahuman criminals Livewire and Volcana, and tech genius T. O. Morrow, lounging in Sean's office, she decided to investigate until she was told to wait. What was more shocking was that he handed the director of Belle Reve the release forms for selected inmates. Now was the perfect time to get some answers.
"You know those Suicide Squads one Amanda Waller used to employ? This time it's different." Sean answered. "For once, these guys will put all their skills and powers to good use. Killer Frost will focus her bloodlust on those who deserve it. Dr. Minerva's skills as a former geneticist will be useful once I give her a position as one of my newest most trusted scientists in Global Tech, and her skills as Cheetah will play a bigger role for this team in regards to combat and medical purposes. El Diablo will double the firepower Volcana has provided, pun intended. Lastly, Croc's skills as a mercenary and smart thinking will double the heavy duty Venom will provide."
"I don't know about this, but once the League catches on, they'll try to shut you down." Zatanna said with concern in her voice.
Sean scoffed. "They're not above the government as they are the law, that's just downright arrogance. One wrong move towards me, Eddie, or Global, and they're kissing their capes goodbye. Besides, this is something these, uh, so-called 'convicts' can't refuse. No blackmail, no bribes, no shady deals, just good old persuasion."
"What makes you think they'll be willing to join?" Zatanna asked. "There's been a few in here that tried to kill us several times."
"They're not evil, they just had it rough or had no choice. More importantly, they don't kill people for amusement like the Joker, and scum like him don't deserve a second chance." Sean said firmly. "In fact, I even heard Croc helped Green Arrow's ex-sidekick out of his depression once. He may look like a monster outside, but the guy's still human inside. Same can be said for Cheetah and Poison Ivy."
"What about El Diablo?" Zatanna asked. "I heard he surrendered himself after killing his wife and children a few years ago."
"It was an accident." Sean said. "Besides, the guy was angry, and I know angry when I see it. When I saw the news, I saw the look of grief and remorse in his eyes as he handed himself over to the cops. It's not a good thing for people like him with powers some call 'the Devil's gift'."
A solemn silence passed as Zatanna processed Sean's words. It was true, most would call these powers something the Devil gave them, many metahumans fear being exposed for good reasons. Humans kill what they don't understand or they weaponize it for their own purposes.
The next thing that came on her mind was that it was just like her conversation with Anne, except it was in more perfect detail, and it made even more sense than what the League would always say, and she had no choice but to agree with his words.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Zatanna said as they reached Louise Lincoln's cell.
"Hey, Frosty." the guard said as he punched in the code to the cell before it opened. "Got some visitors for you."
"Another suicide mission, I take it?" The voice said, amusement clear in her tone.
"Looks like prison hasn't dulled your sharp tongue, Louise." Sean commented as he walked into the room, hands in his pockets. "Also to answer your question, the Squad days are long since over."
Once completely inside Sean was able to get a good look at his soon to be group member. She was wearing a blue one piece with a six-sided star design with a blue core. She had blue gloves that went up beyond her elbows that had white fringes at the top as well as knee length matching heeled boots. Her light blue hair maintaining its health as well as her two strands on either side of her head.
"Great. You." Killer Frost (Assault on Arkham version) scoffed before turning to Zatanna. "Huh, and you decided to drag Houdini's little girl with you. Here to pull a magic trick to boost Global's image? Not interested, so get the hell outta here."
"Talk about having a cold attitude." Zatanna quipped, though she was seething inside at the little insult, while Sean just groaned at the magician's pun. Seriously, who came up with that crap?!
"Actually, you're the one getting outta here." Sean said, and Louise raised an eyebrow, whether she was offended at her insult thrown back at her, or curious as to what he meant.
"Really? Why does the Sean Asburn Kruger want to help a big time 'convict' like me?" She sits down on the hard bed and crosses her legs while leaning back.
"I can tell you're not that bad." Sean answered. "I know you get a thrill out of your crimes and how you love killing things, but barely anyone got hurt from your sprees. I'm saying, what if you got the rush from killing those that really piss you and the rest of society off? Say, those who slaughter, rape, torture, or cause more destruction for their own personal gain or sick amusement. Does that sound like a thrill to you?"
Louise had a look of surprise at his words. She did get a thrill out of her crime sprees, but hearing people who did those kinds of things made her feel a little sick. Like all other villains, she also found the Joker to be the most disgusting thing to walk the earth, and she knew Sean was right.
"I get it, I'm not like those people. If you even call them people." Louise admitted. "But what I don't get is why you're really here."
"We're forming our own team to do what the Justice League can't, but we need more members in case they overpower us. Which is where you come in."
Louise sat back with a blank look on her face as she stared down the CEO, a small smirk now adorning her already beautiful face.
"What's in it for me?" She asks. She wasn't about to become a hero out of the goodness of her heart after all.
"We bail you out of here, for one. We'll give you a place to stay and food to keep you fed, give you protection from the League, plus you'll be going on missions where you'll get to kill those we tell you to and get paid in the end. Then one day you'll be seen as a hero." he explained.
She thought about it for a moment. "How will I get protection from the JLA?" She asked him.
"Anyone working for Global Tech has complete immunity from the Justice League… and they know it. However they might just violate the law they love upholding so much just to shut us down… and I can't wait for that to happen. Still, this team will work to save this world from scum like the Joker and others like him. You, on the other hand, have a chance to be something much more."
That actually wasn't a bad deal, to be honest. She'll have a place to live, food to be fed, still get to do basically what she does now, have the League off her ass, and get paid altogether? This could be fun.
"Alright, deal. Now get me out of here."
"Good choice." Sean said as Louise walked out of the cell before following him and Zatanna to the next cell.
His next recruit he had met before: Barbara Ann Minerva, aka Cheetah (design from Justice League: Doom), the famous animalistic fighter and foe of Wonder Woman. Sean just hoped to God she and Diana would get along.
"Well…?" Sean asked, asking for an answer for the question he asked a year before.
"Can you really change me back?" She asked.
"Not completely… my guys at the labs will slightly reverse your condition so you can switch back and forth. That's the best I can do… for now. Will you join my team?" He asked.
"Deal." she answered, and her cell opened too. "Thank you, Sean. Also, I'm sorry for breaking into your building just to see you a year ago."
"Water under the bridge." joked Sean. "Plus, you shouldn't be thanking me, you should thank Eddie."
That got their attention. Louise turned to him and asked for clarification. "Eddie? As in Eddie Brock?" How on Earth had he managed to talk a reporter into joining this group?
"Would you believe me if my best friend was host to a symbiotic alien life form that bites the heads off of psychopaths or tears them limb from limb?" Sean asked, as both metahumans stood slack-jawed since he had just revealed Venom's secret identity to them. "I mean, he's the one who came up with the idea of forming this team. He'll love you girls, and I'm sure you'll love him as much as Zatanna here does. Did I mention he's also in a relationship with a hot lawyer?"
"Did you just blurt out mine and Anne's relationship with Eddie?!" Zatanna hissed, slightly embarrassed and hoping not to attract the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
"Point is, he understands you as much as I do, so you'll get along just fine." Sean said, ignoring Zatanna's question, while the two metahuman criminals stared shockingly. "Plus, he's a real charmer like I am, with a little pervy devil on his shoulder every now and then, if you know I'm talking about."
Killer Frost and Cheetah, though shocked at hearing Zatanna and another woman they didn't know being in a relationship with the man who requested for their release, began to smirk.
"When I see him, I'm gonna give him an apology for not being a fangirl." Killer Frost admitted, obviously showing sudden interest in Eddie, with Cheetah having the same thoughts.
Sean made his way to the cell of the third recruit. This one having swam all the way from Gotham into the bayou of New Orleans, just a few miles from Belle Reve's doorstep.
Fitting.
"Waylon! Have you thought about my offer?"
Killer Croc (design from The Batman) gave a toothy smile. "Get me outta here, Kruger. And you got Killer Croc." He said in his Cajun tone of voice, and the guard opened the cell.
Sean had one more to visit. The heavily tattooed man wearing a white tank top, silver sweatpants and white sneakers sat against the wall with a ball of fire that took the form of a woman dancing gracefully about in his palm as he looked on with a solemn look on his face.
"Mr. Santana?" the man looked up at the young CEO as he clenched his fist, snuffing out the flame before standing up.
"Lemme guess, you want to sign me up for your program." Chato Santana, aka El Diablo, stated. "I'll pass. I'm done with that life."
Sean sighed, knowing this would be a tricky one. "Let's not jump to conclusions here, Chato. I know you got the whole criminal underworld to fear you when you ruled the streets, but now the same criminals are running amok ever since you've turned to pacifism, and only you can help stop them."
"I told you I'm done with the killing." Chato said firmly. "That's not what my chica y niños wanted."
"Isolating yourself from the world and living the rest of your life in grief is not what they wanted." Sean countered. "They wanted you to be a part of something greater than yourself, and this team is the only way to redeem yourself. To leave your old life behind. There's people out there who are causing death and chaos as part of their own sick games like the Joker, and the League's too afraid to put an end to both of those things. If you join this team, you can make sure no one goes through the same thing you did, and one day, you'll be forgiven. It's your choice, not mine."
Zatanna and the other three recruits listened to every word Sean spoke. She had to admit, Sean and Eddie were better motivators than any of the Justice League. Even Frost, Cheetah and Croc were impressed at his words.
Chato, meanwhile, was looking at the floor, a conflicted look plastered on his face as he thought over Sean's offer. Yes, he hurt and killed people in his early criminal career, but he didn't do it randomly or for laughs like the Joker does, and such people like him had no place in this world. Chato drew a line in his career, but he knew he crossed it after that fateful argument, and now, after what Sean said, he knew he would make sure no one else would cross that line like he did, and so he looked back at Sean and gave his answer.
"Where do we start?"
Eddie's Apartment, Gotham City
Anne parked her van outside of the building as she, Eddie and Jason exited the vehicle towards the apartment's entrance.
The three entered the building, walking up the stairs to the second floor before entering Eddie's room, which was still in the same condition before he left to meet Sean.
"Home sweet home." Eddie mused.
'Hope there's still some chocolate chips while we were gone.' Venom added.
"Nice man cave. Wish we had less emphasis on 'cave'." Jason said as he removed his red helmet, and Eddie and Anne are taken aback at the sight of the vigilante's domino mask, which looked all too familiar to them.
"That mask… you're Robin?" Anne asked in shock, having heard about the events of the Joker killing the second Robin a few years ago.
"Was." Jason said bitterly as he frowned the moment Anne brought up the name of his former hero identity.
'I smell backstory.' Venom mused.
"How'd you come back?" Eddie asked.
"A little dip in Ra's al Ghul's Fountain of Youth will do that to you." Jason said. "Aside from the occasional angry bursts and edginess."
"Okay, the Joker killed you, Ra's al Ghul brought you back, and you decided to kill the clown by tearing through Gotham's criminal underworld before Batman stopped you. Is that the whole story?" Eddie listed off.
"How'd you guess?" Jason asked as he sat on the sofa.
"Sean's been keeping tabs on your mentor and his pals through one of his satellites. Identities, backgrounds, powers, all that." Eddie explained.
"Everything?" Jason asked.
"Everything. Now that we have a little glimpse of your history with the Dark Knight himself, I think that makes you an important asset to this team." Anne said.
Jason smirked. "Then I can't wait to see the look on the old man's face when he finds out I've joined a band of loose-cannon heroes. That reminds me, who do we have?"
Eddie and Anne looked to each other, nervous that a vigilante would flip out if they mentioned recruiting a few members of the Justice League's rogues' gallery.
'Come on. I'm sure he wouldn't mind working with some trigger-happy badasses like him.' Venom urged his host eagerly.
"Tell us something: do you believe in second chances?" Eddie asked.
Jason raised an eyebrow at such a question, but answered nonetheless. "Not in those who live to see the world burn."
"Figured as such, but we do." Eddie countered, to which Jason shot a glare at him. "This team is full of people that have gone against the Justice League a couple of times, except they still have a sense of morality in them. A few of them have killed people, but none of them are happy about it. Most of them even made sure nobody was hurt in their careers. Have you ever thought about that?"
"That's what I told Batman years ago." Jason spoke. "I told him we weren't talking about Two-Face, Riddler, or Clayface. We were talking about scum who ruin lives or kill innocents for a cheap laugh like the Joker or Scarecrow."
"Exactly!" Eddie beamed in agreement. "That's why we're alike. We see good in people with low body counts or none at all, while we see the worst in people who can't be helped anymore after a dozen chances, but none of our 'heroes' seem to listen. Do you get what we're saying now?"
"That by killing the vermin that plagues Gotham, the Big Leagues will see things differently and back off?" Jason asked before smirking. "I don't see a problem at all."
"You won't regret this." Eddie said with a smile before making his way to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home."
Eddie stopped at the table where several weekly newspapers from the Gotham Gazette were sprawled all over. Most of them were focused on Venom's activities, and victims with huge criminal records ranging from murder and rape were listed next to the picture of Venom lifting up a crook, preparing to eat him.
'I remember that guy.' Venom said. 'I'm still dissolving bits of his skull in my system.'
"Already making a name for yourself?" Eddie looked back to see Anne placing a hand on his shoulder with an impressed look on her face.
"Gotham's becoming safer now that someone's doing the job properly." Eddie smirked before looking back at the papers, coming across one that described the Joker's capture at the hands of Batman just two months ago, and the list of people that were killed in the insane clown's spree, about fifteen, making him frown. "But we still have to take out the trash littered all over the city."
'We'll get the clown someday.' Venom assured his host. 'We'll make sure the Bat won't stop us next time we meet.'
"So… who do you think is next?" Anne asked.
"Gotta be somebody else who hates clowns besides us." Eddie said with a shrug. "Probably someone who's on Global Tech's side to clean up the filth, of the figurative and literal kind, to say the least."
"You want the tree hugger to join next?" Jason asked from the living room with a raised eyebrow before shrugging. "Fine by me."
"Tree hugger? As in Poison Ivy?" Anne asked.
"We both have our reasons for hating the Joker. She hates him for how she treats his self-proclaimed girlfriend, and I hate him for killing me." Jason pointed out. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."
"Now that you mention it, Global Tech did promise to clean up the pollution from all around the world. It even won a few lawsuits against rival companies that almost ruined the environment, of course Ivy would join." Anne said thoughtfully before turning to Eddie. "Eddie, remember that plant you used to have back in your old apartment in SF?"
"Yeah. I just feel bad I had to throw it away." Eddie said with a look of guilt. He wasn't that much of a gardener, it was no wonder his old plant rotted away so quickly.
"You could learn a thing or two about gardening from Ivy." Anne leaned closer so she could whisper into Eddie's ear. "And maybe grow something much more."
'There's Annie. Kinky as always.' Venom hissed eagerly, before Eddie came to his senses.
"Alright, you guys load my stuff into the car." Eddie said as he walked out the room. "We've got some flowers to water."
Eddie stopped in his tracks as he looked back at Jason and Anne, who looked at him weirdly.
"Was that a figure of speech, or…" Jason asked awkwardly.
"I was just making a statement. Thought it was fitting." Eddie said with a nervous smile before turning away. "Dammit, V."
'What? I thought you said we'd like Ivy.' Venom snickered as his host exited the building. 'I just hope she doesn't give us an itch only she has to scratch.'
"Less perving and more searching." Eddie hissed as he made his way to unknown parts of Gotham in search of his next recruit.
Sorry it took so long. I keep getting caught up on college stuff. I have a life, you know? Anyway, the next chapter will focus on the long awaited meeting between Eddie/Venom and Poison Ivy. This part's tricky. Not just the chapter, but the title itself. Right now I have two titles, which are Venom and Poison and Toxic Relationship. Give a vote on which one I should choose and why, or you can give me an idea of another title in the reviews. Stay tuned for more!